Sometimes, The Stories Are True
by thenerdyfangirl
Summary: ON BRIEF HIATUS; until I finish my other stories and/or find inspiration. This is a Hunger Games/Once Upon A Time crossover fic. It will be mainly OUAT-centered, and only contain the overall idea of the Hunger Games. You have been warned: involves much SwanQueen, and a little more than a hint of SnowQueen, WhiteSwan. Rated M for later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

Notes: Even though OUAT has now ended its fifth season (*sniffles*) this will take place in the first season, where the sexual tension was oh-so-amazing between the sheriff and the mayor, Henry was at a blissfully young age, and all of the characters mentioned in the story were already conveniently introduced. Let's pretend a little, shall we?

Disclaimer: As much as I wish I could, I do not own Once Upon A Time or the Hunger Games series. Oh, Adam and Eddie, how lucky you are. Apologies for using your characters in my own mischievous plans.

Ooh, and reviews are much appreciated. Inexperienced writers like me need a little feedback and constructive criticism! Thanks!

...

The people of Storybrooke never thought much about Panem, a region heard of once in a great while.

Until, suddenly, Panem's problems were now their problems. They had come here, to a town in Maine.

A small town in Maine.

The smallest town in North America.

It was impossible.

Trucks full of Peacekeepers, white-suited nightmares that were once only whispered about in the dark as ghost stories, were pouring in, tires leaving black marks on the asphalt.

Rumors flew like arrows, infecting the entire town within an hour. "They're here," eager mouths said against greedy ears, "The stories are true. I've heard the Reaping is to begin three days from now."

Children throughout the town weren't as ecstatic as the adults. Instead, they shut themselves in their rooms, their wails mixing as one with the buzz of trucks, the bustle of the once-desolate streets, the hammering of hearts from stricken mothers.

After Panem had fallen ten years ago, the government in ruin, the nations had dispersed across the rest of the country, leaving the wastelands of the Districts behind. Katniss Everdeen, the Mockingjay, the symbol of hope, had disappeared, never seen again, whether from death or voluntary exile, no one knew. Her legend died quickly, along with all thought of the Hunger Games.

Or so they thought.

Some Capitol residents remained in their tainted state of mind, religiously keeping their traditions at heart. So, quite suddenly, one of the followers of the old ways gathered together the Peacekeepers, Gamemakers, Panem Officials, and some of the most prestigious Capitol supporters.

And the Hunger Games, of course.

The new leader of this organization claimed she was the daughter of President Snow. Few believed this, since no one knew he had a daughter at all. With pale, fair skin that contrasted sharply with her dark hair, her name, Snow White, was actually quite fitting. Her motives and ideas, however, were far from pure.

And, thus, the Hunger Games began again, more vicious than the last. This time, Snow White personally chose a single town, where ten competitors would be reaped.

They knew that the Hunger Games traveled now.

No one knew they would come here.

…...

Right in the middle of Storybrooke, the New Genesis, as they called themselves, set up their banners, large screens, and the formidable stage, all set up to look like the original Reaping. The flags were new; blood-red with a knife and a gavel clashing together in the middle of a white circle.

Passerby watched the scene unfold, mesmerized by the pure excitement of something new.

Someone might wonder, "Who tried to stop this?"

The mayor of Storybrooke might have. The first day, when the trucks were rolling in, she stormed out to meet them head-on, cursing and yelling at anyone who crossed her path. Eventually, one of the Peacekeepers got fed up with her, and slapped her square in the jaw with his pistol.

The mayor retreated, silent for the rest of the day, a darkening bruise spreading across her cheek.

The announcement had rung through the streets only hours ago, declaring that everyone be gathered at the center of town the next morning.

Not many would be sleeping tonight.

…...

At eight the next morning, all of Storybrooke's residents were packed into the courtyard, the sun already high in the sky and their fingers slightly sore from the small needle that took their blood at the entrance.

The only sound for fifteen minutes was the shuffle of feet, subdued coughing, and quiet whispers.

Then, suddenly, a large group of Peacekeepers came into the courtyard, boots scraping loudly on the ground. One by one they broke away from the group, lining the courtyard, until only one woman was left to climb the steps to the stage.

A new wave of whispers broke out as the townsfolk recognized the newly-famed Snow White, now facing them. She was truly as stunning as the rumors suggested, with perfectly placed features, a striking figure, and bright, yet fierce brown eyes.

She stepped up to the microphone, clearing her throat daintily and staring at each of them before speaking.

"People of Storybrooke, how ecstatic you must be!" Snow White started, flashing a perfect smile and continuing, "You all get to be a part of the tenth New Genesis Hunger Games! Ten of you will be chosen to participate directly. I'm sure, even out in the middle of nowhere, you've heard of how this works, so I'll just get straight to the point. Now, you might be wondering why I personally saw to the set-up and execution of this year's Games. And, I suppose, you have the right to know. I've decided to change a couple rules especially for your tiny little town." she beckoned with a gloved hand to a man holding a sheet of paper. Taking the paper, she read aloud the new rules, "Number one: Anyone, ages 10 and up, will be eligible for the competition, not just children. Number two: No one will be allowed to "volunteer" for anyone chosen. And number three: two of the competitors will be directly chosen by me. "

Dead silence reverberated throughout the courtyard, the only sound being the deafening smile coming from Snow's lips.

"So, if we'd like to get started, the names of all of you are here, in these bowls. We'll start by selecting five girls, or, in this case, women," she smirked to herself a little, "and then five boys, or men."

She stepped over to the large glass bowl, with small slips of neatly folded paper inside, just like the stories. Heartbeats raced as she grabbed the first piece, unfolding it daintily, and read the name, written in graceful swirls, "Ruby Lucas."

The waitress standing near the back of the crowd let out a small shriek, muffled by her sleeve.

Snow pulled out another slip of paper, holding back her smile of satisfaction, "Belle French."

The librarian tightened her grip on her sweater.

"Maleficent."

The sorceress merely adjusted the brim on her hat.

"Tinker Bell."

The fairy sighed in resignation.

"Emma Swan."

The hero held her head high, determined to keep a neutral face at least until she was alone.

"Now, for the men, since I still have a choice to make." Snow made her way over to the other bowl, discarding the four slips of paper on the stage behind her.

"Killian Jones."

The pirate pretended not to have heard the name.

"David Nolan."

The prince glanced at his wide-eyed daughter.

"Robin Hood."

The thief hugged his son tighter.

"Mr. Gold."

The businessman, positioned right in front of the stage, just straightened his posture and smirked.

"And, now for my personal choices," Snow dropped the other four slips on the stage and stepped down the stairs. She faced the people of Storybrooke, hands folded in front of her, "I will pick one man and one woman."

Snow White strode through the crowd, eyeing each face carefully. She stopped in front of one particular brunette, "I heard you gave my men quite some trouble yesterday," Snow touched the woman's bruise, pressing lightly, "You can scream at anyone you want to in the arena, Regina Mills." she said, tapping the mayor's nose and walking farther into the crowd, leaving Regina fuming behind her.

Spotting a tousled brown head shorter than the others, she pushed aside a few townsfolk to kneel down next to a young boy, "And how old are you, sir?" she asked sweetly.

The boy looked around quickly, then answered, "Ten, miss."

"Well, then, congratulations! You're just the right age! You'll be so cute, Henry Mills." Snow pinched his cheeks and stood up, flashing a victorious grin at his gaping mother. "Maybe next time you'll learn to keep your comments to yourself, Mayor Mills."

Snow White made her way back to the stage, stepping up to the microphone once again, "Ladies and gentlemen, let the competitors come forward. Through these doors, we'll let family say their goodbyes."

She turned to leave, then abruptly came back to the microphone, suppressing a laugh,

"And, oh, may the odds be ever in your favor."


	2. Chapter 2

Sitting in a room that everyone knew was actually the back car of a train, the ten competitors looked around at each other, trying to hide the fear lurking behind their eyes. "Family members" had come and gone, a quick reception without tears. Grief would come later, long after this train's departure.

A few long minutes after the last solemn visitor walked out the double doors, Snow White, draped in a red and black dress, strode in, head held in a confident manner, "Oh! You guys are getting luckier by the minute! Nice food, nice couches, nice rooms, and, to top it off, a nice long train ride with... you guessed it.. me." she sat down with a sigh on the last word.

Every glare in the room was directed at the smiling figure, seated far from business-like on a white sofa.

"So..." Snow started, beckoning to a suited waitress, ".. how does it feel, you know, living the legend? Aren't you so excited? I would be, until I realized that I had to try and kill everyone in this room, that is." she laughed and took a delicate glass of a red liquid from the waitress, "Oh, and try this wine, it's... unlawfully delicious." she purred, taking a large hit.

The silent waiters carried silver trays around the room, offering the wine to every competitor. They reluctantly took the tall glasses, suspiciously swirling the liquid before taking small sips.

"Any questions? Concerns? After all, the creator of the New Genesis is sitting right in front of you." she sat back comfortably.

After a long span of silence and restless hands, Regina finally decided it was time to speak up.

"Um, yes, I do have a... concern." the mayor of Storybrooke set her wine glass down on the polished coffee table, " What sick person are you to send... acquaintances... out to murder each other?" she leaned forward, adorning her well-known political smile, prepared to play lawyer.

The leader of the New Genesis merely raised an eyebrow, downed the rest of her wine, and set her empty glass carefully on the same table, "Well, Mayor Mills, what sick person locks her son up in her house, sleeps with any man she manipulates, and treats everyone in the town she "owns" like shit? What difference is there between me and you? It's better to degrade someone's pride and make them live with it than kill them, right?" Snow picked up another round of wine from the nearby tray.

It would be a lie to say that even one person in the room wasn't enjoying the feud, despite the situation.

Regina was now fuming, red from either rage or embarrassment, no one knew, "Are you seriously trying to say that what you're doing is right? That my sins amount to yours? You support the slaughter of children. Don't try to compare yourself to me."

Snow White had already drunk half of her second glass, and she scoffed at Regina's argument, "Please, Madam Mayor, that's where you _know_ you're wrong. I am just as... well, what's the word? Oh yes... _evil_ as you are. Spare me the lies, I may come off as childish and idiotic, but I've done my share of research." she had leaned forward, making sure the hint had gotten across.

She stood up, now addressing the entire congregation, "Your pathetic little town of Storybrooke may have intrigued me merely for the fun of it, but I know your secrets. All of them. And if you want this to go unnoticed, you'll have to say the _magic_ word." she smiled.

The competitors were aghast. No one knew about Storybrooke's magic. No one. And Snow White must have had a lot more resources than a few gossipers to figure it out.

"I'm sorry," she said, sighing a little, "I haven't heard that word yet."

"...P-please?" Henry said quietly, scooting closer to his birth mother.

The laugh that escaped Snows mouth was one of pure mocking, "My dear Henry, that is indeed the word I was looking for! It seems you all have something to learn from this young man in the making." she walked over to Henry and lifted his chin, "I hope you find your way in that arena. You are one of my favorites, Mr. Mills." Spinning around towards the door, she spoke over her shoulder, "Mayor Mills, however, might need to keep one eye open tonight."

Her servants trailing after her, the large gray door slid shut, blocking the sound of her continued laugh down the hall.

Regina was nearly purple, her mouth tightened into a line. Not wanting her rage to be unleashed upon them, the rest of the contestants looked down at their shoes and tried not to smile.

…...

The trip to the forgotten districts was long and monotonous. Days were spent eating and drinking foreign delicacies, wandering the cars of the train, and staring out into the blurred landscape. Visits from Snow White were frequent, and never really looked forward to. Even though they may have enjoyed the fights that were ensued between the mayor and the leader, she still wasn't very pleasant to be around.

Emma and Regina, especially, found themselves snapping at each other constantly, annoyed by the mere sight of each other.

The tension in the air made the week-long journey all the more treacherous for everyone.

Henry was the most affected. He walked the long halls of the train, humming more often than not, and saw the fights between his mothers, the tears shed by many competitors, the heavy drinking from a questionable few people, but most of all, Snow White.

As he explored the cars, he dreaded the time where he would most certainly run into her, often with a wine glass in hand, and she would ruffle his hair, or straighten his coat, or tap his nose. She would wrap a slender arm around his shoulder and ask about his home, school, and what he thought about going somewhere new for a change. Most frequently, she would ask about his mothers, which he found increasingly odd. She would rant about the mayor and the sheriff, then ask about their past or their habits. Occasionally, she'd ask him about his special book. He knew this was very weird, but decided there was no harm in telling her about the fairy tales themselves. After they talked, walking down corridors and looking out windows, she'd send him on his way back to his family with a small pat on the back, saying she'd be looking forward to next time.

When Henry returned to his friends, he would just say he went exploring, and nothing more. For some reason, he couldn't bring himself to mention his discussions with Snow.

Even though Emma and Regina knew something was off, they wouldn't say anything, for fear that he would run off or do something dangerous.

Snow White herself really enjoyed dropping hints about their magic and figuring out ways to unnerve them. Especially in the case of Regina. For some reason, provoking the mayor had become one of her favorite activities. She'd don her tightest outfit, get just tipsy enough, and go and irritate the already high-strung woman. If she was being truly honest with herself, and she was drunk enough, she could admit that Regina Mills sent the area between her legs into a frenzy as well.

In fact, as she just realized, the same could be said for the sheriff. Emma Swan was just as stubborn, confident, and tempered as her brunette friend. She may not be as fun to pester, but Snow found she liked even being around the skinny jeans and red leather jacket.

As for the other competitors, well, they drowned themselves in tears and alcohol. They would shut themselves in their rooms and try and forget why they were being treated so nicely. And realizing that those black bracelets snapped onto their wrists were not just for decoration. Yes, they had all come to figure out that Snow White did indeed know about Storybrooke's magic.

And that meant they were all in some serious trouble.


	3. Chapter 3

As the train finally pulled into the station, there were no cheering crowds, flashing cameras, or news reporters. Instead, they were greeted to a landscape of charred rubble and ruin.

"Yes, a pity, isn't it? A whole region, just gone like that," Snow White snapped her fingers, "Though the population did decrease rather dramatically, so I better not complain too much." she laughed and led the way to a few cars nearby, engines rumbling softly. "Alright, the seating arrangement for today is..." she waited in mock suspense, "In that far one to the left; Gold, Maleficent, Tink, and Killian. In the next one; Belle, Ruby, David, and Robin. And, of course, that leaves me, Emma, Regina, and Henry in this first one. Have fun, it's going to be a two-hour drive of no scenery and lots of getting to know each other. Though that's hardly necessary, being in such a small town and all." she motioned for the competitors to move.

As Snow had promised, even the first two minutes seemed to be an eternity. An endless sea of blackness offered no reason to look out the window, and nobody wanted to start a conversation either.

Words were hard to avoid, though, in such cramped quarters. In the third car, Gold and Maleficent were already at each other's necks, fighting with abandon, and Tink and Killian were trying to avoid any eye contact whatsoever.

In the second car, attitudes were reasonably mild, and talk was made about their families and Storybrooke.

However, the first car was an entirely different story. Henry stared wide-eyed as his mothers fought with Snow, all of their faces red with a questionable passion. Glances were thrown below the neck, and their was a constant shifting in their seats, trying to accommodate the heat between their legs. He clutched to his seat belt, not understanding the tension in the car.

Only an hour had gone by when suddenly the driver of their car swerved to the right, throwing Henry, Regina, and Emma all into a pile. The brakes were slammed, screeching, and finally came to a stop.

Furious, Snow threw open the car door to scream at the driver, when she stopped and glanced behind her at the road. Mysteriously, she started laughing, pleased at the sight before her.

Curious, Emma stepped out of the car, pushing Henry behind her cautiously. Her breath hitched when she saw Maleficent, crumpled on the road. She looked back at the third car, and saw a large hole in the window, where she must have been thrown out. A single thought struck her, _Gold._ She stormed over to the car, jerking on the handle to see a very frightened Tink and Hook, and a very smug Gold.

"What the hell was that, Gold?" she fumed, pointing at the obviously deceased half-dragon.

"She... she couldn't handle my personal opinions." he said calmly, looked pointedly at Hook and Tink to make sure they didn't talk.

"You killed her!" Emma grabbed Gold's collar and yanked him out of the car forcefully, "Why?!"

"She did it herself." he lied, looking her straight in the eye.

"Well, well, looks like we have a problem." Snow strode up to the pair, "So, executive decision; this whole thing never happened, alright?"

Gold smirked and shrugged off Emma's hand.

"What!?" Emma shrieked, "You're just going to let this happen? He _killed_ her!"

"That is the point of the game, honey," Snow stated, glancing at her fingernails.

"The game hasn't even started yet!" Emma said, frustrated.

"Oh, you must have not been paying attention, Sheriff. The game started a _long_ time ago." Snow smiled and got back in the car.

With one final, defeated look at the body of Maleficent, she trudged back to the car.

…...

The landscape was black and dreary, but Snow's new mansion was definitely not. It was plush, comfortable, and very, very large.

Dropping small amounts of luggage in their rooms, they sat on their silky beds and thought about training tomorrow.

At least, everyone but Emma and Regina. All they could think about was that the rooms, for some reason, screamed sex appeal.

All Henry could think about was the scary closet in the corner.

…...

The next day, after uneasy sleep, black outfits appeared on their dressers, along with an announcement to be in the training room by eight the next morning.

The fidgety line of competitors stood in the room, awaiting instructions. When they heard footsteps behind them, they expected to see Snow, but were instead surprised with the presence of a stranger.

She walked in front of them, introducing herself, but no one remembered her name after she continued talking. No fighting in the training room, no smuggled weapons, no this, no that.

When she left, nobody moved, all standing rooted to the spot. Hook, being the bravest, stepped with uncertainty toward the knives, picking one up and tossing it awkwardly around.

Belle moved next, striding quickly toward the plants, followed by Robin, who headed for the bows.

After that, they dispersed, moving without confidence towards the stations with the least people. Soon, a steady hum of clinking metal and disgruntled huffs began.

Emma took the growing comfortableness to look around at her neighbors. Friends, who now were showing deadly skill in the most unimaginable things, were now her enemies. And why? For some sadistic woman's pleasure? She felt wrong, but couldn't do anything about it.

She took time to look at Henry. She worried about him ever since the Reaping. Young, naive, always trying to see the good side of everyone. She'd have to look out for him.

But how could she kill anyone here? They were her friends. How could she hurt Regina? She couldn't. Regina was Henry's mother. It would ultimately hurt Henry. But was there any other option?

Emma shook her head. She had to stop thinking. She turned back to her poisons and tried to concentrate.

This wasn't just a legend anymore. It was reality, and Emma wasn't sure if she was ready to face it.


	4. Chapter 4

Training flew by. Suddenly, the Games were upon them, and the last day before they began struck everyone with a sense of panic.

 _Murder. Murder. Murder._

Their scores were still imprinted on the backs of their eyelids: _9,5,7,4,10._

 _3._

It was Henry's score that shocked everyone. To get a _3_ meant that you were practically there for comic relief.

Emma headed down a set of stairs to where they were supposed to wait for the upcoming interviews. She doubted anyone would be there; she had come early out of mere anxiousness. Rubbing her hands nervously on her scratchy, white gown (once again provided for her) she stood at the door, waiting for what she was sure to be a long hour.

After what must have been fifteen minutes, Emma was now pacing, occasionally tapping absent-mindedly at the door. She was so engrossed in her footsteps that she didn't know someone had come and stood nearby.

When Killian stepped forward and opened his mouth to say "hello", he was greeted with a shriek from a very startled Emma.

"Hook! Damn it! You scared the hell out of me!" she huffed after seeing the one-handed pirate.

"Well, I don't get that kind of greeting every day." he smiled and stepped in line next to Emma.

Even though she was very glad for the company after spending a quarter of an hour alone, Emma certainly didn't want to provoke any conversation from him, so she didn't answer.

She couldn't ward him off forever, though, when after a couple awkward minutes he tried again, "Are you nervous?"

Nearly rolling her eyes at his attempts, she replied sarcastically, "Of course not, I do interviews every day!"

He laughed as if that was the funniest thing in the world, then shouldered closer to her, saying, "I'm nervous too, but we could comfort each other..."

She made a face and was about to slap him when Regina came around the corner, snapping, "Can't you take a hint, pirate? She doesn't want what's in your pants. Lay off." she shoved Hook away and stepped in between them.

Emma could make an excuse that she was speechless because of gratitude, but that would be a lie. Instead, it was the purple gown Regina was wearing that took her breath away.

Trying to get her mind off of the mayor's curves, she whispered to her, "Thanks for that."

"No problem. Just remember that you have fists, okay?" she whispered back, making a small punching gesture with her hand.

Emma suppressed a grin and nodded.

After that, a steady stream of competitors shuffled in, clothed in silky dresses and pressed suits. Henry came straight to his mothers, playing with the black bow-tie on his neck.

"Look at that dashing young man," Regina said to him, kneeling down and fixing his collar.

The time to fawn over Henry's outfit was cut short when a man walked in, saying it was time to prepare for the interviews. He read off the order they were to go in, then pointed at the door, encouraging the first person to go through. Robin stepped out of the line and opened the door as boldly as he could, not knowing what lie on the other side.

The small TV screen next to the remaining competitors flickered to life, showing Robin and an oddly dressed man shaking hands and sitting down.

Soon, the next interviewee was sent in, then the next, and the next. It was down to Regina, Henry, and Gold when it was Emma's turn to shake the man's hand and sit down. Regina and Henry listened intently as the interviewer asked some generic questions, to which Emma gave generic answers to. Then he asked a question that stopped Henry's heart, "Are you worrying about your ten-year-old son, Henry, competing in the Games?"

The question seemed to have stopped Emma's heart as well, for she hesitated for a while before stating, "Of course I'm worried, he's my son. No child should ever have to face these decisions."

The interview ended without incident, and Emma left the room, stopping to give Henry a quick hug, "Just be yourself out there, okay kid?" she advised.

Henry nodded and strode through the door.

Emma and Regina watched Henry's interview, which was as uneventful and general as the others. He came back, not showing any sign of nerves.

When Regina sat down, her interview was nearly the same as Emma's, except for one little twist, "How does it feel leaving Storybrooke after _so_ long?"

Confused, Regina sat there, silent, for a few seconds before replying, "Um, I don't know? Different? There isn't much here to be stunned about."

The interviewer nodded and said, "I don't think you quite understand the question, Ms. Mills. I mean: have things changed at all since Storybrooke was made?"

Emma's eyes widened, and so did Regina's.

Not only did Snow know about the magic in Storybrooke, but she also knew about the curse.

Regina looked like a deer caught in headlights, "Yes... I assume I haven't been out... in a while..."

Emma swore under her breath, knowing that Regina didn't know what to do.

The interviewer let her go without further pressing, but the point had been made clear; Snow White knew _everything_ about them.

The Games were going to be especially treacherous for the residents of Storybrooke.

…...

Waking up the morning of the Games was like living a nightmare. Sliding out of a perfect bed, walking across a perfect carpet, seeing the perfect outfit on a perfect dresser. The perfection, though, was off, as if it had been tampered with.

Shaking hands twisted cold doorknobs, and unsteady legs followed quiet escorts to the rooms with the glass tubes.

Emma didn't know where anyone was, and the room she was led to was empty except for the large cylinder and two servants to help her with her jacket.

She wondered if anyone had gotten the same message as she did. Last night, the television in her room buzzed to life unexpectedly, projecting Snow's porcelain face. She had said that she hoped everyone was enjoying their stay, and was prepared for the Games (a laugh accompanied this statement). It was a brief speech, followed by at least twenty clips of previous Hunger Games. They were violent, heartless, and Emma had to shut it off after she couldn't bear it any longer.

She assumed they were meant to harden them, so they would be willing to kill each other. She had only hoped that the others hadn't received them, or hadn't listened to them. Again, she worried about Henry, afraid that he would be frightened by the videos.

Emma shook the images from her mind as she felt her jacket being zipped up, and she was pushed unceremoniously into the glass tube.

Suddenly, fear overtook her as the cylinder moved up, and she got her first glimpse of the arena. She was confused, as it didn't look like an arena, but an abandoned city.

She saw the other competitors, and tried to give it no thought as to what she would have to do to keep Henry safe.

 _15,14,13..._

It was the countdown. Bright numbers appeared on the Cornucopia, and her heart twisted into knots. She saw swords, knives, bows, and other devices meant to kill.

 _10,9,8..._

She suddenly heard Snow's laugh echo in her mind, and she nearly let out a sob. This was coming too fast.

 _5,4,3..._

It was time, but she couldn't believe it. _Stop!_ , her brain screamed, _Stop it! Let me go!_

 _1..._

Emma Swan was truly afraid.


	5. Chapter 5

When the ringing in Emma's ears subsided after the start of the Games, half of the tributes were already off the podiums. Panic dawning on her, she whipped her head around, realizing she hadn't found Henry yet.

After an eternity of seconds, she finally located his frightened form, crouched in a ball on his starting circle. Without thinking, she sprinted towards him, not registering the burning sensation on her arm.

She grabbed his hand, yanking him up and encouraging him to run with her. Together, they ran as fast as he could keep up with her, ignoring the battle behind them.

Her breathing was ragged, and her lungs burned with the effort, her legs seizing up beneath her. Henry was faring even worse, and she had to practically drag him to get to keep up.

Breathless, they finally reached a decent building, diving in and scrambling to find shelter. Emma thought they must have been at least half a mile away by now, and her only thought was to get as far away as possible from the fight.

Finding a trapdoor, they lurched themselves into a dark cellar, shutting the slab of wood behind them.

They huddled together, shaking and breathing heavily, hoping desperately no one would find them.

A cannon boomed, and Henry let out a whimper. Emma shut her eyes and held him tighter to her, praying that that would be the last one they would hear. She couldn't imagine losing one of her friends; Belle, Ruby, Hook, Regina...

Regina.

She couldn't bear the thought of looking in the sky tonight to see Regina's face. Henry would be broken, knowing that his adoptive mother was...

She pushed the thought away.

Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through her arm, and she realized it had been burning with a dull pain since she started running. She released Henry to put a hand on her wound, to have it come away warm and sticky with blood.

Gritting her teeth, she pressed on it and found it to be an arrow graze.

Robin. Only he would know how to work a bow. Emma tried not to cry as it dawned on her that he had tried to kill her. Or Henry. She thought he was her friend.

The Games changed people more than she had hoped.

After attempting to dress her wound in the dark, it must have been at least half an hour, and she couldn't hear anything. There had only been a single cannon, thank heaven. She stood up, aching to stretch her stiff muscles.

"Are you okay, kid?" Emma's voice was trembling more than she had intended.

"Y-yeah," Henry mumbled, dusting off his pants.

Emma walked to the door, fumbling around with her hands in the dark to find the latch. She pushed it open only an inch or so, and the bright light stung her eyes. She tipped the door back down to let her eyes adjust, then peeked out again to find silence and no one in sight.

Cautiously beckoning to Henry, they quietly crawled out, tip-toeing to the entrance of the house."

Emma knew they had to find some way to protect themselves, and to do that they needed to get to the Cornucopia. If there had only been one death, she shuddered, then everyone had probably run.

"Do you have any strength to run?" she asked Henry.

He nodded, straightening his shoulders.

She smiled slightly, then took his hand and set off at a jog along the side of the streets in the shadows.

She could only just see the top gleam of the Cornucopia over the tops of the dilapidated buildings, and figured they had run only about ten blocks.

Looking around, she tried to figure out how large this arena was. It seemed to go on forever, but she knew that wasn't the case. After they made their supply trip, they would have to see how far they could get away, and where to find water and food. And now she would have to keep an eye out for traps, if they weren't going to be in the middle of the action.

If there was any action. How could any of them kill each other? She could only imagine what Henry must be thinking.

Bringing her mind back to their task, she looked up to see the shiny Cornucopia to be much closer. When they were a couple hundred feet away, they ducked into a small structure and caught their breath. From what she could see, there wasn't anyone at the Cornucopia, but a lot of spilled blood. Her mouth tightened into a line.

She turned to Henry, "Okay, kid, just stay here for a minute. I'm gonna get some supplies for us, alright?"

"Okay," he said, already retreating further into the building.

Emma took a deep breath and steeled herself. Just because there was no one in sight didn't mean someone wasn't hiding. On a second thought, she picked up a couple of rocks just in case, even if they would provide almost no protection.

With one final look around, she sprinted toward the golden structure, picking out the weapons and supplies inside. Skidding to a halt, she hurriedly grabbed two knives, a pistol and a backpack. Surprised that there was this much left, she ran out, debating on coming back for a second haul.

Halfway back to safety, a shot rang out, and she glanced behind her to see Tinker Bell a distance back, rifle raised at her.

 _First Robin, and now Tink,_ Emma thought sadly.

The sorrow passed quickly, though, when a second bullet, narrowly missing her ear, whizzed past.

Emma zig-zagged wildly, ducking and turning to try and prove a difficult target. The backpack and weapons bore down on her, and she barely had the strength to duck into the nearest building.

Seeing that Henry was nowhere to be found, she hurriedly pulled out her pistol, checked to see that it was loaded, and turned the corner.

Tink was running at her, rifle at her shoulder, ready to shoot.

 _Stop it, Tink. Stop it! Go away! I don't want to do this!_ Emma raised her pistol.

With steely-eyed determination, Tink did not stop, and instead shot again at Emma, missing by a wide margin.

Realizing that she could wait no longer, Emma choked out, "I'm sorry!" and pulled the trigger.

Killing someone was not like in the movies. It provided no satisfaction, and it was quick.

One minute, Tinker Bell was running, desperate to survive, and the next, she was crumpled, her eyes disbelieving, and then blank.

Emma jumped at the sound of the cannon, and dropped her pistol, hands shaking.

Without thinking, she crept over to her body, and saw dark blood pooling from her chest, her hands limp under the rifle, her mouth open and red.

Emma staggered back after grabbing the rifle, and put her hand over her mouth.

She had no time for this. She had to get back to Henry and to safety. She turned her back on her friend, and ran back, scooping up her knives and her pistol, her backpack still on her back.

She ran in and beckoned to Henry, who promptly got up and joined her.

Together, they sprinted down the street again, Emma, with silent tears falling off her cheeks, and Henry, who knew that the nice fairy wouldn't say hi to him anymore.

...

A/N: Okay, sorry for the angsty-ness, but that's Hunger Games for you! Really, though, reviews and PM's and all that jazz are greatly appreciated. This is only my second fic, and I need to know if it's worth continuing at all! Thank you so much!


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